You can let kids earn some of their screen time. If you do, it helps to keep the rules clear, written down and applied the same way every day. Experts do not fully agree on the idea, so this guide lays out both sides and a simple way to try it at home.
What "earning" screen time can mean
Families use the idea in two main ways. Some make all screen time earned. Others set a baseline, with certain times when screens are always open, and let kids earn extra on top.
The Child Mind Institute describes the second approach. It suggests setting specific times of the day or week that are always open for screens, then offering extra time as a bonus for positive behavior. The key detail is that your child knows exactly what earns the extra time. One example is getting ready for bed without complaining, which could earn ten more minutes the next day.
What experts say, including the concerns
Not every expert is comfortable with screen time as a reward. Children and Screens, an institute focused on digital media and child development, quotes specialists who warn that using screens as a reward can raise their appeal while lowering interest in chores, homework and reading. Internet Matters raises a similar point. Rewards can creep upward over time, and screens can start to look like the prize that everything else is for. Others lean the other way. Jennifer Katzenstein, director of psychology and neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, says in a Johns Hopkins Medicine Q&A about chores that parents can use chores to earn screen time.
The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a wider view. Its guidance encourages a family media plan with rules that fit your household, quality content, and regular reviews as children grow. It also suggests screen-free zones, starting with mealtimes and bedrooms, especially in the hour before bed. Its updated policy also moves beyond simple time limits and points families toward quality, context and conversation.
Across these sources the common threads are the same: clear expectations, consistency, and protecting sleep, homework and family time. In practice that points to a plan that is fair, predictable and agreed in advance, whichever approach you pick.
A simple weekly plan
- Start with a family media plan. Decide on screen-free zones, such as the dinner table, homework time and before bed. Include the adults. The AAP suggests every family member has a plan, including parents.
- Decide what is always open. Pick set times when screens are allowed no matter what, like the half hour before dinner. This stops screen time from becoming the only prize in the house.
- Choose two to four ways to earn extra. Keep the list short and specific, such as finishing a chore or getting ready on time. Say how much time each one earns.
- Write it down together. The Child Mind Institute suggests writing the goal with your child and posting it somewhere visible. A visible plan gives you something to point to.
- Stay matter-of-fact. If a task is not done, say so calmly: you did not do the chore, so you did not earn the time, and next week is another chance. Child Mind Institute experts recommend this neutral tone for chores. Internet Matters adds that taking devices away as a blanket punishment can escalate power struggles.
- Review the plan. The AAP suggests revisiting your plan at the start of each school year and around holidays, because plans should change as your child grows.
What counts as earned
Link the time to effort you can see. "Finish the dishes" or "be ready for school by 7:45" is easy to check. "Be good" is not. The Child Mind Institute advises tying rewards to specific behaviors and delivering them consistently every time.
Keep the basics out of the bargain. The AAP notes that limits should leave room for schoolwork and other activities, so homework and sleep are better handled by your media plan than by a points system.
An example you can copy and change
This is only an illustration. Change the times and tasks to suit your family.
- Always open: the 30 minutes before dinner on school days, and one hour on Saturday morning.
- Earn extra: unload the dishwasher for 10 extra minutes, pack your school bag the night before for 10, and read for 20 minutes for 15.
- Never earned or lost: screens stay off at meals and in the hour before bed.
- Review: sit down together after two weeks and ask what is working and what feels unfair.
When it does not go to plan
Some pushback is likely whenever rules change. A few things help.
- Acknowledge the need first. Child Mind Institute experts suggest saying you understand your child needs a break and wants to relax, and that part of their screen time is theirs to use as they like.
- Agree the rules before the argument, not during it. A written plan lets you point to something you both decided.
- Apply the plan the same way to every child in the house, so nobody feels it is unfair.
- Be ready to change it. If the rule is causing daily fights, shrink it or rethink it at your next review.
Where an app can help
If you would rather not track this on paper, an app can do the bookkeeping. With KefiFam, parents set up quests, such as daily routines or one-time missions, and choose the points each one is worth. Your child marks a quest complete, you approve it with a tap, and you can turn their points into screen-time minutes. Note that with KefiFam all screen time comes from points, so the always-open part of the plan above is something you handle yourself. You can find KefiFam on the App Store if you want to try it.
What to try this week: write a one-page plan with your child, list the always-open times, pick two ways to earn extra, post it on the fridge, and agree to review it in two weeks.